


The Twin Bastards

by Punko0402



Category: Naruto
Genre: Action/Adventure, Family, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-19
Updated: 2021-02-03
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:41:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 22,037
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28176318
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Punko0402/pseuds/Punko0402
Summary: During the Third Great Shinobi War, Fugaku Uchiha had an affair with a woman in the Village Hidden in the Grass, and conceived twin children. Those children, Ryuji and Nyoko Hashimoto, would go on to become chunin in the Hidden Grass. However, while their mother lay dying, she would finally tell them the truth of their father. They now embark on a journey of self-realization.
Comments: 3
Kudos: 1





	1. The Truth

Nyoko

As has become common, Ryuji and I immediately head back for the house when we made it back from our mission. Mother's illness has made it difficult to leave her alone for too long, but we still need to go on missions. Afterall, we need to make money somehow. It's not like we can just find ways to make money closer to home. Ryuji and I only know how to be shinobi. Mother pushed us to, ever since we were young. She wanted for us to be honorable and respectable, as if honor and respect even existed in the Hidden Grass. Luckily for her, we ended up being pretty good at being shinobi. Even when we were genin, we succeeded in virtually all of our missions. It wasn't before long that we became chunin, either. Unfortunately, most people requesting for missions go to one of the Five Great Nations, so there aren't plenty of missions to go around.

Once we get back home, we go straight to Mother's room. She looked as if she got physically sicker with each passing moment. Her once vibrant, joy-filled eyes now looked empty. What used to be the most beautiful, long, caramel-colored hair I had ever seen was now dull, dried out and unkempt. It hurt more and more every day to see her this way.

"How are you feeling, Mother?" Ryuji asked. His black hair was messy, as opposed to the way he normally slicks it back. His all black clothes were also muddy from sleeping outside the night before. I hate when I have to sleep outside during a mission. I'm sure my hair was just as messy, and I could clearly see my blue top and white shorts were covered in mud.

"Not even a hello first?" Mother weakly chuckled to herself. "I can tell I do not have much longer."

My stomach dropped every time she said something like this. "Let me go find a doctor," I said. Before I could even turn to make my way out the door, Mother stretched her arm outward.

"Don't waste your time, my daughter," she whispered. "Besides, I have something important to tell you both."

"Save your energy, mother," Ryuji said. It was as if he didn't even hear what she said. Did he not care what she had to say? Mother rarely would preface something by telling us that it was important, it surely must be worth hearing, right?

"I mean it Ryuji. It's about your father."

Suddenly, the air felt cold, and it was as if the world stopped turning. I could feel my heart beating in my throat. Our father? What does she mean?

"I need to tell you the truth about him. I know I told you that he died when you were both young… but that was a lie."

"Mother, what do you mean? Who is he? Where is he?" I asked frantically. Ryuji just stared at Mother, blankly, like he still hadn't processed her words yet.

"I need to start… from the beginning. It was the Third Great War… battles between the Village Hidden in the Leaves and the Village Hidden in the Stone fought each other, and since our village lies between them... we found ourselves to be their battlefield. One day, a group of shinobi from the Leaf made their way to our village… and they were very badly hurt. Even though it was risky, I wanted to help them. So I took them in… gave them a place to stay for a night or two. One of them was a man… he was so appreciative and thankful… I took a particular liking to him. We forged a brief relationship while he was here. I didn't think much of it at the time… it wasn't long before he went on his way, back to the war. Little did either of us know… I had become pregnant… pregnant with you two… That man's name was…"

I listened closely, the tension in the room was palpable.

"... Fugaku… Uchiha…"

Fugaku Uchiha. That was the name of our father. I looked at Ryuji, still with a blank expression. I wonder if he even listened. Or maybe this is just too much for him to process right now. Whatever it may be, it feels like my entire world has just changed.

Before I can think about what to do or say next, Mother has a particularly bad coughing fit.

"Cough… I'm sorry I waited so long to… cough… tell you two… I just couldn't bear to admit that my dear children were… cough… bastards"

That last word stung. I couldn't bother to focus on that though, as I knew that in mere moments, I'd be without my mother.

"Now that I have cleared my conscience… I can leave this world in peace…" she uttered. Her breathing was now labored. "I love you both… so much…"

"I love you too, Mother," I said, trying to not shed tears. Mother wouldn't want to see me cry for her. I looked at Ryuji. His expression wasn't blank anymore, it was strained. I know he has a hard time showing that he cares, but he needs to now. If he doesn't, I know he'll regret it.

Ryuji opened his mouth to speak, but he hesitated before any words came out. "Mother… I love you," he choked on his words. He was trying to not cry too.

Mother breathed one last breath, and then she was gone.

The next day, we buried her. A couple of her close friends came to say their final goodbyes, but funerals are not prevalent in the Hidden Grass, so it was finished rather quickly. Ryuji and I leave to go back home, and neither of us speak. I don't know what to say right now, and Ryuji has never been one to start conversations. I think it may be best to be quiet right now, at least for a little while.

We kept to ourselves for the first hour after getting back to the house. Eventually, I could no longer keep my thoughts to myself anymore. "We have to find him, Ryuji," I said, abruptly.

My brother looked at me with a bewildered look. "Find who?" he asked

"Don't be dense… Fugaku… We need to find our father."

"You're being ridiculous." He said, sternly. My face felt hot.

"What do you mean?! Don't you want to meet our father?!"

"He doesn't even know we exist, what's the point. He hasn't been in our lives at all until now, knowing his name changes nothing."

"Up until now, we thought he was dead, Ryuji. Doesn't any part of you want to at least see him once?"

"Not one bit." His voice was void of emotion. Typical of my brother. A shinobi must harden his heart, he always said. He rarely ever showed his emotions, even to me, his own sister.

"Fine then… I guess this discussion is over." I went to my room for the rest of the day. I have to meet my father. I need to see him, I have so many questions for him. If I have to go without my brother, I will.

I packed my things and waited for nightfall. I put a white cloak over my outfit, the same blue top, white shorts, and white sandals I wear on missions. I began to quietly make my way out of the house. Just as I was about to walk out of the front door, the walls of the room were now lit by a bright orange light. I turn around and see Ryuji behind me, holding a candle in his hand.

"I knew you weren't going to listen to me," he said.

"I'm not going to let you stop me… I'm going to find our father!" I exclaimed.

"I don't plan on stopping you, Nyoko."

I paused for a moment. "You don't?" I asked. I could hear the bewilderment in my own voice.

"I think that this is utterly foolish… but I can't let you go alone." He started to smirk. "Knowing you, you'd find some way to get yourself killed." He put out the candle and reached for his black cloak on the hanger near the door. "Now…" he said, "let's go find Fugaku Uchiha."

I felt a sensation in my eyes that was completely unfamiliar to me.

"Another thing..." my brother says to me. I listen closely. "We should figure out what those eyes are."


	2. The Fate of the Clan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nyoko and Ryuji depart from the Village Hidden in the Grass in order to learn more about their heritage.

Ryuji

As we moved through the night, the cool autumn wind against my face, I couldn't stop thinking about those eyes. Nyoko's eyes have always been completely dark, nearly all black including the iris, but before we left, they were bright red, with two tomoe prevalent in the sea of crimson. I have to redirect my focus now, there are more pressing matters than my sister's eyes.

"You realize that we're missing-nin now, right?" I say to Nyoko.

"It's not like we're from one of the Five Great Nations. A missing-nin from the Hidden Grass is hardly even a footnote," she replies.

"Perhaps no one outside of the Grass will care, but do you really think no one back home will realize we're gone? We were valuable assets to that village. They aren't going to take our defection lightly"  
"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it." Typical of my sister, casually speaking about the treason we have committed. Only she could do such a thing without a care in the world.

"How do you intend to find him?" I ask. I doubt she even has a plan. She's more of a 'act first, think later' type.

"Mother said he was from the Village Hidden in the Leaves, right? Let's just go there."

"Foolish," I said. Of course she thinks it could be that easy. "What's going to happen when two ninja of the Hidden Grass just waltz into one of the most powerful villages in the world? Do you really think they would allow us to do such a thing?"

"Well what's your plan then?" she whined. She hates being wrong, yet does nothing in an attempt to have a more strategic mindset. To this day I wonder how she's made it this far as a shinobi.

"We will find a safe place to camp for the night, and come morning, we will find a neighboring village. One without shinobi. There, we will gather as much intel as possible before deciding our next move. If Fugaku truly was from the Hidden Leaf, chances are in our favor that someone in the Land of Fire will have some information."

"Okay," she agrees, reluctantly.

After traveling a little while longer, we eventually find a place to make a suitable campsite. Despite the tiresome events of the past two days, I have a difficult time sleeping. As much as I try to take my mind off of it, I just can't stop thinking about those peculiar eyes.

The moment the sun peeked above the horizon, we began to move. It wasn't terribly long before we found a small village, seemingly about half the size of the Hidden Grass. Before I can even begin to make a plan, Nyoko starts to walk in the village's direction.

I have to grab her arm to stop her. "Just what do you think you're doing?"

"I'm going into the village to get information, just like you said!" she exclaimed.

"You don't know if these people will be welcoming or not, we can't just stroll in as if it's our home." It gets tiresome having to explain things of this nature to Nyoko.

"It's a tiny farming village, how much trouble could they be?" she asks.

"I'm not taking any chances with this, Nyoko. When we go in, we will find the nearest shop, and act as if we are on a mission, one given to us by our village. We will then, and only then, ask for information regarding Fugaku. Follow my lead, if things go south, we will need to make a quick exit. Do you understand?"

"Yes…" she says, begrudgingly.

We enter the first shop we find, a tiny general store. Behind the counter was an old woman, couldn't have been younger than seventy years old. Her skin resembled a date, wrinkled from head to toe. Her wiry white hair resembled a bird's nest after a snowstorm. I approach her.

"Hello ma'am. My partner and I are here on shinobi business. What can you tell us about a man by the name of Fugaku Uchiha." She seemed taken aback momentarily, and quickly regains her composure.

"I don't know a man by the name of Fugaku… but I know the name Uchiha quite well."

"What can you tell me about them?"

"They were a very powerful clan of the Hidden Leaf. I'm surprised you have never heard of them. They were touted as some of the most gifted ninja the world has ever known. They were famed for their eyes, the Sharingan eyes." The Sharingan. That's what Nyoko's eyes were.

"You said that they were a powerful clan… What happened to them?" I ask.

"You see… they were subject to a horrible tragedy… Many years ago, during one fateful night, the entire clan was slaughtered by one of its own members, Itachi Uchiha." My heart sank. I look at Nyoko from the corner of my eye and can see how heartbroken she is. "He killed every member of the clan, except for his younger brother… I don't know what your village wants with this Fugaku Uchiha, but they aren't going to get it."

"I see. Thank you for your time." I grab Nyoko by the arm and exit the shop.

"So… he's dead," Nyoko says, solemnly.

"At least we now know what happened to your eyes. We should try to find more information about the Sharingan now."

"So you want to know about the Uchiha?" a deep gravelly voice says behind us. I quickly turn around. In front of me stands a man in a black cloak marked with red clouds, his hood shadowing his face. "My apologies, I could not help but overhear your conversation with that old woman. If it is about the Uchiha that you wish to know, I can tell you everything."

I am incredibly wary of this man, but if he can give us more information about the Uchiha and the Sharingan, I feel I have no choice but to listen. "Go on," I say.

"I figured you would want to hear me out. Everything the woman in the shop said was true, but she lacked certain… details. The man you spoke of, 'Wicked Eye' Fugaku, he was a hero of the Hidden Leaf Village during the Third Great War. He was the head of the Uchiha clan. It is true, Fugaku no longer belongs to this Earth, but that is not the whole story." Nyoko and I listened very intently to his words. "He was the father of Itachi Uchiha, and was slaughtered by his own flesh and blood." I can feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand up straight.

"The shopkeep said that Itachi spared his younger brother, is that true?" Nyoko asked. Normally, I would be telling Nyoko to keep quiet, but I was curious as well.

"Ah yes, Fugaku's youngest son, Sasuke. It is true, Itachi spared Sasuke," the hooded man said.

"Are they both still alive?" Nyoko asked.

"Indeed they are."

"Do you know of either of their whereabouts?" I ask.

"As a matter of fact, I do." I listen closely. "Sasuke is currently roaming the ninja world with his master, Orochimaru. As for Itachi, he is currently a member of the same organization as myself, the Akatsuki."

"So, does that mean that you know Itachi personally?" I ask.

"Indeed I do."

"Is there any way you could arrange for us to meet him?" Nyoko asks. This seems to pique the man's interest.

"If I may ask, why do you wish to meet him?"

I stop Nyoko from speaking. "Because if our mother was correct… we believe ourselves to be… his half-brother and sister," I say, reluctantly.

"Mmmm… Interesting… Very interesting indeed…" the hooded man says to himself. "I suppose I could arrange such a meeting."

I am admittedly shocked that he agreed, but I am still wary of the man. "My name is Ryuji Hashimoto, and this is my sister Nyoko. And you are?"

"I have gone by many names in the past, but you may call me…" he paused briefly, and lifted his head enough to reveal an orange swirled mask with a singular eye hole.

"... Madara Uchiha"


	3. The Bargain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nyoko and Ryuji make a deal with Madara in order to arrange a meeting with the agent of their clan's demise, Itachi Uchiha.

Nyoko

"Before I allow for you to meet Itachi, I have but one request to make of you two," Madara said. I have a terrible feeling about this all. This man has a dark, ominous aura about him. Even his voice sounds evil.

"You see," he continued, "my organization, the Akatsuki, we have to keep the lights on somehow. So, we often will accept requests from those who promise to pay us handsomely. This was the case with the Daimyo of the Land of Rivers." I have a hard time picturing someone holding as much prestige as a Daimyo enlisting the help of someone this smarmy. The pit in my stomach grows ever more prominent with each passing second.

"The only problem is, it was several weeks ago that we held up our end of the bargain, and he has yet to do so. That…" he paused. I've known this man for but a few mere moments and I already hate it when he pauses. "... is where you two will come in."

"You want us to steal the Daimyo's money?" I asked. Ryuji stared daggers at me.

"Now, now, is it really stealing if it is money I was already owed? I would prefer to call it… reclaiming what is rightfully mine."

Ryuji chimes in, "What is it you wish for us to do, exactly?"

"I like your enthusiasm, Ryuji!" Madara exclaims. "I have it on good authority that the Daimyo keeps his riches in the lower level of his estate in the Land of Rivers. I would like for you two to retrieve my money from the estate, by any means necessary."

"Any means necessary?" I said, nervously.

"Any. Means. Necessary." Madara's tone of voice sent chills down my spine. I can't believe what Ryuji and I have gotten ourselves into. I want no part of this man, or his organization. I look at Ryuji, but he is solely focused on Madara. Is he really ok with this?

To my shock and dismay, Ryuji extends his hand to Madara. "You have yourself a deal," my brother says. Madara grasps Ryuji's hand firmly, sealing their deal.

"I knew you would be on board." Even if he had a mask, I could tell Madara was beaming. "Once you retrieve the money, head directly south of the estate. I will be waiting for you. Goodbye, and good luck." I don't like the way he said 'good luck'.

As if I couldn't be more unnerved by this man already, after bidding us a farewell, he sweeps his arm in a circular motion and his body disappears behind it. Just like that, Madara was nowhere to be seen.

"Ryuji," I gasp, "are you sure about this?! Madara has bad intentions written all over him! Just his voice is enough to make my soul cry for help!"

My brother doesn't even make eye contact with me. "If this is what is going to get us a meeting with Itachi, then I am willing to do it." His voice was emotionless as usual. "Trust me, I understand your aversion, but this is something I feel we have to do." He now looks at me. "Afterall, you're the one who so desperately wanted to find our family."

If his agreement to do as Madara wished were the knife in my back, those words were him twisting it.

For the three days it took for us to make it to the Land of Rivers, we did not speak much. I still do not want to go through with this. I finally broke the silence to ask a question I had on my mind since meeting Madara.

"If Itachi supposedly slaughtered the entire clan, then how did Madara survive?"

"You ask me that as if I would have the answer," Ryuji retorts. "It doesn't matter, we will get more information when we meet Itachi."

"I still don't feel good about this, Ryuji. We shouldn't be stealing just to learn more about our heritage. Something just feels… off." I have to try my hardest to not let out my pent-up frustration.

"I agree that this is strange. However, we have to do this. I just know we do. Besides, it's been three days since we agreed to help Madara, and we've already made it all the way to the Land of Rivers. It's too late to turn back at this point." I hate that he's right.

"I didn't think that learning more about our family would involve partaking in a heist," I say.

"I didn't either, but we have to get this done."

We finally arrive at the estate early that evening. Madara called it an estate, but actually, it would be more appropriate to refer to it as a palace. The home was gargantuan, it looked to be bigger than all of the buildings in the Hidden Grass combined. A gravel path wove its way about the property, going around and behind trees, as well as a beautiful pond behind the house. Ryuji and I hid in the treeline surrounding the property.

"There are lots of guards," Ryuji observes. "We may have better luck if we try to enter through the back"

"I agree."

We make our way around, being sure to stay hidden in the treeline. We eventually find a decent vantage point, and begin to discuss our plan.

"There's no way we get out of this without taking out a few guards," I say, admittedly disappointed. If we have to do this, I would rather not hurt anyone.

"We're going to have to do it stealthily. We can't risk alerting more of them, at least not this early," he adds.

From where we sat in the woods, the back of the house and the pond were clearly visible. It seemed that only two guards stood in our way if we entered through here. "What's the plan, Ryuji?" I ask.

He detailed his plan to me, and we decided it would be best to wait until nightfall before we act. We remain hidden by the trees until the sun finally sets. Once it does, Ryuji gives me the signal. I throw the paper bomb behind me, deep into the woods, and we jump up into the trees. As we stand on the branches, I see the two guards make their way in our direction. Once they are below us, we jump down and strike the backs of their necks, putting them out cold.

I look on towards the estate, and I turn around to see Ryuji tying the men up. "Is that really necessary?!" I snapped at my brother.

"We can't risk them waking up and alerting the other guards before we're done here. I am not taking any chances." He retorts.

He finishes tying the men up, and we make our way to the back wall of the estate. Luckily, the trees surrounding the pond in the yard obscured the view of other guards, giving us a nook of safety. It is now time for the next phase of our plan.

Ryuji grabs onto my shoulders before telling me, "Go!" I begin weaving my hand seals before placing my palms to the ground. "Earth Style: Tunneling Mole Jutsu!" Just like that, a tunnel opened in the earth, allowing us to drop down. I further burrow until we meet the wall of the estate's basement.

Time for phase three. "Are you ready, Ryuji?" I ask in a hushed tone, as to not alert anyone inside.

"We will have to act quickly now," he says while weaving hand seals. "If there are any sensor-types in the building, they likely know we are here by now." He weaves his last seal. "Fire Style: Heated Palm." He digs his hands into the wall, hoping to be able to burn through the material using his Fire Style Jutsu. Unfortunately, he seems to struggle to make it through the wall fast enough.

"It's not as efficient as I had hoped it would be," Ryuji says. "We're going to have to do this the hard way."  
"Are you sure?" I ask.

"Yes, we can't afford to waste any more time or else we risk getting caught anyway. We're going to have to just try to make this quick." He reaches into his pouch and takes out a paper bomb. "Alright, get back," he says. He places the bomb on the wall and quickly retreats to the other end of our tunnel. The bomb detonates in a flash of white light, and we rush in.

Luckily for us, no guards were in the basement already, giving us a chance to locate the money before we get caught up fighting. Ryuji and I both scour the room, and I am the first one to spot the iron safe on the far side of the room.

"Ryuji!" I call for his attention, "Over here!" We rush towards the safe. When we reach halfway, two guards appear in front of our destination. Ryuji does not even hesitate to start his attack. He weaves signs with impressive speed, "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!". Before I knew it, the two guards were swallowed up by the amalgamation of orange and yellow flame.

We reach the safe before any other guards can get to us. "Cover me!" Ryuji cries. I turn my back to the safe in order to keep watch. Behind me I hear Ryuji exclaim, "Heated Palm!". He has more success with the safe than he did the wall, able to get through it relatively quickly this time. Ryuji runs past me. "Come on! Let's get out of here before more show up!"

I sprint with him towards the hole we made in the wall. We make our way through the tunnel and arrive back in the yard, meeting the night's cool air with a breath of relief.

The relief would not last, however. Just as we resurface, we are met with another guard, this one with a shinobi headband. I look at Ryuji, his face bearing a look of worry.

"As the Daimyo's Ninja Guardian, I cannot allow you to go any further," the man says.

Ryuji turns his head to me. The look of concern has been replaced by his normal, calm expression. He hands me the sack containing the Daimyo's money. "Take this Nyoko, and head south."

"But… what about you?" I ask him.

"I'm going to take care of this guy," he says, without even a hint of fear in his voice. How is this possible, after appearing overcome with fear just a moment ago?

"But Ryuji, I can help you take him on!" I cry.

"If we both stick around, we run the risk of more showing up before we can get the money to Madara. If you go on ahead, I can buy you time to get this to him."

"Brother… are you sure?"

He looks towards me again, with a gleam in his eye. He smiles. "Go. I'll catch up." He turns back to his adversary, and his smile is gone. He is serious now.

"Ryuji…" I say, softy, "... don't you dare die."

I throw a smoke bomb to the floor and flee towards the south.

Brother… hurry…


	4. The Daimyo's Guard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryuji battles with the Daimyo's Guard in order to buy Nyoko time to get the money to Madara.

Ryuji

I hear the smoke bomb behind me. Reassured by Nyoko's departure, I'm ready to deal with the threat in front of me. He's a big, tall man, looks like he's in his early 30's. Experienced. This is going to be a tough one.

He unsheathes a katana from behind his back and charges towards me. I pull out my kunai in time to block. We cancel each other out trying to push our blades towards each other. I kick him off to create some distance and begin weaving hand seals. Snake, Ram, Monkey, Boar, Horse, Tiger. "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" I heat the chakra in the center of my chest, build it up, and release it out of my mouth. The ball of flames hurls towards the Guard.

The fireball blocks my vision, but I hear the sound of waves crashing ahead of me. When the fireball dissipates, I see a massive wall of water fall to the ground, steam hanging in the air. He used the Water Style: Water Wall jutsu to block my attack. Water Style… that doesn't bode well. Nearly all of my jutsu are Fire Style. This drastically changes my approach.

Before I can make my next move, the Guard charges at me with his katana once again, blitzing much faster this time. He slashes at my chest and I barely get out of the way. I'm forced to be on the backstep in order to make distance, but he follows up with more attacks. Moving further back isn't an option because of the house behind me, so I'm forced to move to the side in order to avoid the Guard's attacks.

I successfully dodge all of his followup sword strikes and put some more distance between us. What can I do to counter? He starts weaving seals, and I prepare to counter or dodge. He finishes the seals, yet nothing happens in front of me. What is he doing…?

The Pond! I turn to my right and see a protrusion in the pond. He used the Water Dragon Jutsu. Sure enough, a Water Dragon emerges from the pond and darts towards me with terrifying speed. I leap out of the way and it barely misses me. As I'm catching my breath, I feel two sharp pains in my left arm and one in my ribs.

I look at the left side of my body. Shuriken. I see. He used the Water Dragon as a diversion, and threw shuriken in the direction in which I dodged. He's clever. This is bad. He's far above my league. What can I do…?

My heart rate is increasing, I need to calm down and figure out what to do. I pull the shuriken out of my flesh, blood dripping from the wounds.

I need to try something more drastic. Playing it safe isn't going to work here. I reach into my pouch at my side and throw a smoke bomb to the ground, disappearing into a grey cloud. I run towards the house and run up its wall. I make it ⅔ of the way up the structure and kick off as hard as I can. I get over the top of the smoke pillar and weave signs. Good, he doesn't see me yet. Snake, Ram, Monkey, Boar, Horse, Tiger. I heat up the chakra in my chest once again and release it. This time, the fireball is much bigger.

Once again, the fireball blocks my view of my adversary. I land on the ground and within seconds, water flows in my direction. Dammit, he countered again. He knew it was coming after all. I look towards where my adversary stood, and there is a massive veil of steam blocking my vision.

The Guard emerges from the steam with his katana for the third time. I try to dodge again, but the pain in my left side hinders my movement. I'm able to avoid lethal damage, but I suffer a cut on my left cheek. What can I do? I have no plan. Nothing is working. He kicks me in the ribs where the shuriken had previously pierced me. I fall to the ground, coughing up blood. I fumble for my kunai. Before I know it, he's on top of me. He tries to come down with his blade, but I'm able to block it with mine at the last moment.

What can I do? At this rate, he's going to kill me. My heart is beating out of my chest.

What can I do? My arms are getting tired. I'm not going to be able to hold him off much longer.

What can I do? This may be it for me. I guess I won't meet Itachi. I close my eyes, still holding my kunai tightly in my grasp.

What can I do? Nyoko… I'm sorry.

What can I do…?

What can I do…? Am I… going to… die?

What can I do…?

I feel a strange sensation in my eyes. What is this…? Could it be…?

The Sharingan?

I feel a spike of adrenaline. I open my eyes and push my kunai into his katana with all the force I can muster, creating enough room for me to force him off of me. He moves backwards as I get back to my feet.

He throws more shuriken at me, but this time it seems… different. I can perceive the projectiles much better than I could before. It's as if I can see into the future, I can see where they are coming from, where they are going to be. I know how to dodge them all perfectly. Is this the Sharingan's power?

I rush in with my kunai. I'm taking charge of this battle now. His kenjutsu is good, he's able to counter all my attempts to strike him. However, I can predict what he is going to do next. I'm the one pushing the pace now. He's the one on the backstep.

I continue to push him further and further north of the estate. The Sharingan allows me to counter him flawlessly, I no longer feel any danger when engaging with the Guard. The tide is turning in my favor.

We clash once more, stalemating. I push hard and force him backwards. I've moved him far enough back. Now's my chance. Snake, Ram, Monkey, Boar, Horse, Tiger. "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" I put everything I have into one last fireball.

"Ha! Fool! Have you really not learned!" He cries. He begins weaving signs for the Water Wall Jutsu once again.

He finishes his last seal, but nothing happens. I can see the look of fear on his face. He quickly dodges to his right to get out of the way of the fireball. Unfortunately for him, I already knew he was going to move that way, thanks to my newfound visual prowess.

I charge to where he's going to land, and I force my kunai into his abdomen with all of my strength, piercing through his clothing and his flesh. He lets out a guttural scream. "HHHUUAAaaagghhh!"

He drops to the ground. I stand over him, the victor. "You were using the pond as your water source so that you wouldn't have to make water out of your own chakra. The chakra cost is much lower when you have a body of water to use. Luckily for me, you used a lot of chakra back at the estate whenever you countered the Fireball Jutsu, as well as when you used the Water Dragon Jutsu."

He says nothing, only groaning in pain.

"That's why I drove you away from the estate. If I got you far enough away from that pond, you wouldn't be able to draw water from it. Therefore, you'd have to use far more chakra in order to generate your own water. I knew that you no longer had enough chakra to do that. I knew that you'd be forced to dodge that last Fireball instead of countering."

He looks at me with disdain.

"Thanks to these eyes, there was no way for you to escape. This battle was over the moment I awakened the Sharingan."

He coughs up blood. With his dying breath he mumbles, "Just… who… are… you…?"

I kneel close to him. "My name is…"

He looks at me intently.

"... Ryuji…"

His gaze doesn't avert as the light leaves his eyes. I can see the color, the life, draining from his face.

"... Uchiha."

His eyes widen.

"And this victory is mine."

The Guard's soul parts ways with his body. Exhaustion finally takes me over, and I collapse into the grass, losing consciousness.


	5. The Man in the Mask

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nyoko reaches Madara with the money he is owed. She now awaits for her brother to return from his battle.

Nyoko

As I make my way south of the Daimyo's estate, I can't help but worry for Ryuji. I'm confident in my brother's abilities, but we've always fought alongside each other. This is the first time he has ever sent me ahead without him.

Just don't die, brother.

He said he would catch up soon, and I hope he does before I reach Madara. I still don't trust that masked man. I can tell he has evil intentions.

Ryuji, don't leave me alone with Madara.

I feel like I've been travelling for hours, yet I doubt that such a length of time has passed. I just want for this to all be over soon. The past week has been horrendous.

I stop for a moment. Mother died one week ago. With everything that has happened in the past week, the true weight of that has not yet pressed down on me.

My mother tells me that my true father was the head of one of the most powerful clans in the Hidden Leaf. Ryuji and I then left the village we grew up in. Then we learn that our father is dead. Then we meet a masked man who says he can arrange for us to meet our half-brother. Then we commit grand theft against the Daimyo of the Land of Rivers. Now here I am, sitting in the dirt with a sack of money for a creepy man in a mask.

I start hyperventilating. The weight of this past week's events is finally hitting me. Hard. My heart is racing. How has my life fallen apart so quickly?

I try to regain my composure. I have to get this to Madara. I need to do it for Ryuji.

Ryuji.

Ryuji still hasn't caught up yet. Is he ok?

I can't worry about that. I have to keep moving.

I get myself back to my feet and get back to travelling. I look up at the moon. A waxing crescent, bright in the sky. It brings a strange comfort to me. The night's cool air on my face helps calm me down. Everything will be fine. I'll be fine. We'll be fine.

Why can't I convince myself that it's true.

After what feels like a lifetime, I am able to see the black cloak with red clouds in the distance. He didn't lie. He came. I reach a grinding halt and try to catch my breath. I didn't realize until now how exhausted I was.

"Where is your brother?" he asks. I hate his low, gravelly voice. It makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up straight.

"We ran into some trouble… he told me to go on ahead while he took care of it," I reply, still panting.

"Trouble? What kind of trouble?"

"One of the Daimyo's guards got in our way. He handed the money off to me and told me to go on without him. He said he would catch up when he was done with him."

"How honorable. Were you really comfortable allowing your brother to stay by himself?" He speaks in such a condescending tone.

"I did what I had to do to get this for you." I hold up the sack I carried and hand it to him.

"Well, thank you for your devotion. If you don't mind, I would like to wait here for your brother to return."

I sit down and stay silent. This guy is shady.

I wish Ryuji would arrive already. I would've expected him to be long since wrapped up by now. Ryuji is no slouch in battle, I know that better than anyone. He is powerful, clever, crafty, and not someone I would want to find myself standing across from.

"What's the matter, you don't want to chat with me?" Madara's voice rings throughout the night.

"I'm just waiting for my brother to arrive."

"Do you fear for your brother's safety?"

"...Of course I do. He's my family… But I have faith in him. My brother is strong… I know he's okay… I know he is…"

Thankfully, he doesn't say anything else. The last thing I want right now is to have to have a therapy session with the strange man in an orange mask. Just what is taking Ryuji so long…

My concern grows larger and larger for the next half hour. There is still no sign of Ryuji.

"Alright," Madara chimes. I look at him. "I've gotten bored waiting. I shall find your brother. If you'll excuse me, I'll be back in just a couple of moments." He waves his arm in a circle, and just like last time in that village, his body disappears behind it. How does he do that…?

He didn't lie, as within only a couple of minutes, the space to my right begins to swirl, and Madara appeared. However, this time, he holds in his arm, the limp body of my twin brother.

"Ryuji! What happened to him?!" I cry.

"Fear not, young one. Your brother is fine. He dispatched his adversary, whom I would say is in far worse shape than your brother is."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, your brother here, killed the man he fought."

"He… he killed him?"

"I know a corpse when I see one, child. Now, calm yourself. If you get too loud, you'll wake him. He needs his rest. He used a lot of chakra in his battle." Madara carefully places Ryuji on the ground. "I want the two of you to stay here for the night. I will come back in the morning. Don't worry, no one will attack you here. I am certain of it."

I hear every word Madara says, but I have trouble processing them. I can't take my eyes off of the unconscious body of my brother. He… killed that guard? Ryuji has never killed a man in combat before…

"Farewell, Nyoko. I shall see you soon…" Madara once again disappears in a swirl.

There is no chance that I will sleep tonight. What the hell happened, Ryuji?

Ryuji wakes up about an hour after sunrise. He looks around, a bewildered expression on his face. "Where am I? How did I get here?" he ponders.

"You never caught up. Madara got tired of waiting and went and found you. You collapsed after your battle. How are you feeling?"

"I feel like every cell in my body is crying for help."

"It was a hard fought battle I assume."

"You could say that." Ryuji's demeanor is cold, but not the way it usually is. Something seems… off.

"Madara should be back some time this morning. At least, that's what he said last night."

He doesn't answer me. After a few moments without speaking, I can't hold my thoughts in any longer.

"Madara said you killed that Guard… What happened?"

Ryuji pauses as if he isn't sure how to answer that question. "... I was in over my head. His power level far exceeded anything I had ever encountered before. Every strategy, every plan, every idea… they all failed. I was no match for him… he nearly killed me, I had nearly accepted my fate… but then…" He pauses again.

"...then what?" I ask. I fear for his response.

"I awakened the Sharingan."

"You did?"

"Yes… Since you awakened yours when we decided to leave the village to find Fugaku, and I awakened mine upon nearly dying, I think it has some sort of stress-response."

"Stress-response?"

"Good hypothesis, Ryuji! You nearly hit the nail on the head." I hate that gravelly voice more and more each time I hear it. "You see, the Sharingan awakens whenever an Uchiha goes through an event which elicits a powerful emotional response. It could be the loss of a loved one, the fear for one's life, the resolve to fulfill one's dream. The possibilities are virtually limitless."

"But aside from that, it's good to see you awake, Ryuji! It looked like you had a hard fought battle. I commend you for your strength and determination."

"Thank you, Madara. Now that we've gotten your money, will we get to meet Itachi?"

"Ah, yes. You have held up your end of the bargain, I shall hold up mine too." Ryuji's face now beamed with excitement. He really wants to meet Itachi, doesn't he? "Unfortunately, he is currently out on an assignment, but rest assured, as soon as he returns, you will get to meet him. If that is all, I shall bid you a farewell, and revisit you when the time comes." Madara begins to wave his arm in a circular motion, but Ryuji extends his arm out towards him. Madara pauses.

"I have one more question for you, Madara," my brother says.

"Oh? And what would that be?"

"I realized something in my battle with the Daimyo's Guard… I was weak, measly in comparison to him… without the Sharingan, I would be dead right now…" I wonder where Ryuji is going with this. "Since we have to wait for Itachi to return… if it wouldn't be too much trouble…" Where is Ryuji going with this? I break into a cold sweat.

"...would you teach Nyoko and I how to best utilize our Sharingan?"

My heart sank. I feel like I could vomit. Did he really just ask Madara to…?

"You are asking me to train you two?" Madara inquires.

"Yes," Ryuji answers.

Madara begins chuckling to himself. My anxiety grows more and more with each passing second. "Well, it would be a pain to have to track you two down once Itachi returns… plus, who knows how long this assignment could take him… I wouldn't want to waste anyone's time, after all." Ryuji stares intently at the masked man.

"Yes, I'll train you two."

Ryuji bows his head. "Thank you, Madara."

Rivers of cold sweat run down my body from head to toe. Slowly, it's as if my will has become insignificant, and I have been made to only do as my brother wishes.

What have you gotten us into, Ryuji?


	6. The Sparring Match

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now pupils of Madara Uchiha, Nyoko and Ryuji endure a grueling sparring match between each other.

Ryuji

Madara took us straight to one of his hideouts, and it became Nyoko and I's new home. It was a cave in the side of a mountain, with walls of earth to section off portions of the interior into distinct rooms. The interior was lit by numerous torches, mounted on the walls, carefully distanced equally from one another. The light they gave off was a deep orange, giving the rooms a warm appearance, starkly contrasting the cold, unforgiving nature of a cavern. Outside of the cave's entrance, there was a dense forest to keep the hideout concealed. It's far from a perfect home, but the life Nyoko and I live isn't perfect either.

For the week following our arrival, Madara taught us more about how to best utilize our Sharingan. We began learning how to optimize our heightened perceptive capabilities, as well as become introduced to our ability to copy techniques that we witness with our Sharingan.

Nyoko and I both left our respective quarters at the same time to make our way outside for today's training session. She doesn't say a word as we walk. She's been strangely quiet ever since we were taken in by Madara. I suppose she still doesn't trust him, the reason for which I couldn't begin to understand. A couple of weeks ago, Nyoko wanted nothing more than to learn more about our heritage, our family. Then we meet Madara, who is able to connect us to those very ties, yet now she wants nothing to do with it. It's curious.

Once we reach the clearing in the forest where Madara has been teaching us, he tells us his plans for today's session.

"I hope you both are well rested. You've done well over the past week, and I would like to now put your skills to the test. You two are going to spar each other."

I look to my right towards Nyoko, and she looks pale. What could she possibly be worried about, I wondered. We've sparred each other countless times, ever since we were young children.

"Both of you, go to opposite sides of the clearing. You will begin at my word," Madara instructs.

We make our ways to the edges of the clearing, and now a fair distance separates me from my sister. I take deep, slow breaths to get ready for the match.

"Begin!" Madara exclaims.

Nyoko and I both activate our Sharingan and charge in. She throws the first punch, which I easily dodge thanks to the Sharingan's perceptive abilities. I begin to launch my counter punch, but Nyoko is able to catch it. Interesting, it's difficult to utilize the Sharingan against an opponent who also bears the coveted eyes. We continue to trade punches and kicks, but neither of us are able to land anything significant. Simple taijutsu isn't going to be effective here. I need to get some distance.

After catching one of Nyoko's kicks, rather than countering with a strike of my own, I choose to rotate my body in order to build momentum, and I hurl her across the field. Before she can regain her footing, I begin to weave hand seals. "Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!" I begin shooting small, condensed balls of flame at her. Before any of them can get close, she begins to weave signs of her own.

"Earth Style: Rock Wall!" I charge forward. Each ball of flame crashes into the stone wall, immediately extinguishing without dealing any damage. As I approach the wall, I focus infused chakra into the soles of the feet, and climb up the wall. I assume she's using this momentary lapse in action to take a breath. I need to capitalize. I reach into my pouch and grab a spool of wire as I climb. Once I reach the top of the wall, I leap overhead. I throw the wire at Nyoko, hoping to immobilize her and end this spar early. The wire wraps around her, but before I can capitalize, she disappears in a cloud of smoke, a log taking her place. Substitution, damn.

I land and try to get my bearings. She could be anywhere at the moment, but she is likely to be trying to capitalize on my blind spot, directly to my sides or behind me. I await for the Sharingan's foresight to tell me where she will attack from.

Behind me.

I duck, and sure enough, Nyoko was hurling herself at me from behind, putting all of her force into a punch aimed for what I assume was the back of my head. That would've put me out. She flies overhead, unable to halt her own momentum. I charge forward to land an attack before she can recover. Before I can, however, she predicted my attack and countered with a picture-perfect kick directly to my stomach, forcing all of the air out of my body. I fly backwards, collapsing onto the ground. I look up, and I can see Nyoko weaving seals. I need to get up. I try to regain my footing, but I've yet to recover from the kick.

"Earth Style: Mud River!" Nyoko cries. I try to get up and dodge, but am unable to react in time. I see, she knew that she couldn't do anything to stop the Sharingan's perception, so she had to make my body unable to respond to said perception. Very clever. The river reaches me just as I get to my feet, and I can't fight the raging current of the mud. My body gets thrashed by the mud, tossing me around at its amusement.

I crash into the rock wall from earlier. I use the stability of the wall to get to my feet, but I can't escape the current. I see Nyoko weaving more signs in the distance. She finishes the seals, and the mud river hardens. She's trapped me. She's going to charge in and finish me off. I have to do something.

I have an idea. I begin weaving the seals for my heated palm technique. Once the seals are completed, I focus the heated chakra into my hands and place them on the hardened mud at my feet. It's not melting fast enough. I infuse more chakra into my hands to increase the temperature, and the mud begins to melt. It seems I may be too late, however. Nyoko has nearly reached me.

Hold on, her eyes. Her sharingan is no longer active. She used too much chakra on creating the mud river and then to harden it. She couldn't keep her Sharingan active, she won't be able to perceive my counters!

She charges in with a punch, full force, just as she did earlier. I duck down, and use my visual prowess to time my counter perfectly. Just as she reaches directly in front of me, I drive my shoulder into her gut. She falls backwards, but quickly regains her footing. Unbeknownst to her, I free my foot from the hardened mud, and deliver a roundhouse kick to the side of her head, shin to the dome. She crumples to the ground. She's done.

Nearly in unison with Nyoko hitting the ground, Madara appears between us. "It seems that this bout is finished. Congratulations, Ryuji. You are the victor." He turns towards Nyoko, who is now sitting upright. Incredibly fast recovery… That kick was stiff, and landed perfectly on the temple to boot… Nyoko is tough. "Nyoko, you had a good showing as well, you nearly had Ryuji there for a moment. It appears your stamina could use some work. Had your sharingan not deactivated, this spar could still be going right now. Perhaps, you even could have emerged victorious. There is always next time I suppose." Nyoko stares daggers at Madara.

"I recommend that you two rest for the remainder of the day," Madara said. "I have something very special planned for you tomorrow."

"What 'special plan' do you have for us?" Nyoko questions Madara.

"Tomorrow, you two will get what you wanted." Nyoko raises an eyebrow, and curiosity arises within me.

"Tomorrow, Itachi Uchiha will be here to meet you."


	7. The Clan Killer, Itachi Uchiha

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nyoko and Ryuji finally get their wish and meet the man who slaughtered their clan: their half-brother, Itachi Uchiha.

Nyoko

My head still throbs from being kicked in the head yesterday. It doesn't help that my mind has been racing ever since the end of our spar, when Madara revealed that we would finally be meeting the man who slaughtered our clan. I don't know what to expect from meeting him. Is he going to react negatively to the knowledge of Ryuji and I being Uchiha clan survivors? Afterall, he went through with the difficult task of taking down every clan member he knew of. Wouldn't he be upset to know that he didn't take out all of them? If he was capable of taking out an entire clan, there's certainly nothing Ryuji or I could do to stop him from taking us down.

And why? Why did he do it? What was his motivation? What could possibly drive a man to slaughter his own flesh and blood, as if they were animals. As much as I find the prospect of meeting Itachi to be intriguing, I can't help but worry that this may not be a good idea.

I look at Ryuji. He looks excited. He didn't even want to leave the Hidden Grass. Why is he looking forward to this so much? The cluster of thoughts in my mind make my head throb in even more agony than it already did.

I can't keep my thoughts to myself any longer. I've been avoiding talking to Ryuji ever since he volunteered us to train with Madara without discussing it with me, but I needed to talk to him about this. "What do you think meeting him is going to be like?" I asked my brother, sheepishly.

"I don't feel that it matters. This is going to be a learning experience. He's not coming to make friends with us." Cold as ever.

"Do you think he'll be open to telling us why he did it?" I ask.

"Maybe. I suppose we'll find out," he replies. Wonderful social skills, Ryuji. No wonder you had no friends back home.

After a few minutes of silence, Madara enters the room. Immediately, the air feels colder. There is an aura of evil that follows him. Why does Ryuji seem so fond of him?

"Itachi will be here momentarily. Don't worry, I will leave the three of you alone when he arrives. I wouldn't want to intrude." His low voice echoes throughout the room.

"What can we expect of Itachi?" Ryuji asks. So now you are curious.

"What to expect of Itachi… hmm. Well, he is a cold, calculated individual. Afterall, he is a killer." I sigh. Super. "He will not shy away from any question you ask, though. And despite his bloodsoaked background, rest assured, he will not lay a finger on either of you. I've made sure that he understands how important the two of you are to me." Well, isn't that sweet. Creep.

A soft clunking sound emerges from the corridor leading to the room. He's here. As the sound crescendoed, my anxiety grew more and more intense. I know he will not do any harm, but I still feel an ever growing sense of nervousness. I eventually see a tall, shadowy figure traveling through the corridor. As my anxiety reached its boiling point, he emerged. He wore the same cloak as Madara, black with red clouds. He had dull, black hair that he tied in a ponytail, with bangs framing his face. His eyes were nearly completely jet black, just like Ryuji and I's are. He had pronounced stress lines on his face. He seemed to be distant and cold in his demeanor, but if I were to be perfectly honest, I have a hard time picturing him as a psychotic killer.

He walks directly to Ryuji and I. He takes his time to look at Ryuji and I, studying us, as if he wished to take in every single detail. The tension in the room was almost palpable, I could feel it building up in the room. If the air was cold when Madara entered, the air was now freezing. So... analytical. I guess he does seem like a killer. I want to break the silence, but I can't force any words out of my mouth. I'm paralyzed.

A low, uninterested voice comes from the agent of our clan's downfall. "So… you two are my father's bastards?" I cringe at that word… bastards. Such a disgusting sounding word.

Madara chimes in before Ryuji or I speak. "Well now, I don't want to overstay my welcome. I bid you all a farewell. I will see you later, twins. I'll see you later too, Itachi." He swirls his arm in a circle and disappears behind it, as he always does. How in the hell does he do that…?

Ryuji is the first to speak. "I see Madara has told y-"

"Told me that my father was an unfaithful cretin?" Itachi interjects. "That he had two children that no one else ever knew of? Yes… Madara told me." He spoke without emotion, but I couldn't help but believe that I saw pain in his eyes. "Now let me ask, why is it that you two wanted to meet me so badly."

Ryuji didn't speak, so I took the responsibility of explaining our reasoning upon myself. "All of our lives, our mother told us that our father was a Hidden Grass shinobi, and that he had died before we were born. Just before Ryuji and I's mother passed away, she told us the truth. That our father was a man by the name of Fugaku Uchiha." I felt like I had to force the words out of my mouth. It was as if every instinct in my body was telling me to not continue speaking. "After we buried her… we felt that we needed to learn more about our heritage. Without our mother, we had nothing to tie us to the Hidden Grass. So… we left. When we tried to gather information about Fugaku, we found out he had died, along with the entire Uchiha clan. It was after this that we met Madara." The fateful day replayed in my head as I told of it. It sent shivers down my spine. "Madara told us that he knew you, and that he could connect us with you. We wanted to speak with you, so that we could learn about our clan."

It felt as if Itachi was staring into my soul. His gaze never wavered. He waits before responding, choosing to continue to stare daggers at me. Finally, he spoke: "In other words, you want to know why I did it?"

Chills went down my spine and every hair on my body stood straight up. Despite his calm, unwavering tone, he carries an aura of intensity.

"If you wouldn't mind telling us, we would like to know," Ryuji replied.

"Very well," Itachi says. "Ever since I was very young, I have been far more powerful than anyone else in my clan. The Uchiha acted only of their own accord. Selfishly. I grew tired of the clan's… antics. I disapproved of them for a long time. I felt that I just had to wait it out. I was the heir to the clan, afterall. One day, I would lead my brethren, and I would put an end to their reprehensible behavior. I truly believed that… until I met Madara. You see, Madara Uchiha is a clan patriarch. He was hailed as the most powerful clan member, and one of the most powerful shinobi to ever live. Just the name instilled fear in thousands." Well that explains that. "Madara decided that the clan needed to be punished for their actions. They would not fix themselves, they believed themselves to be perfect in every way, shape or form. So, Madara and I decided…" He paused.

"... to kill them all."

I feel several beads of ice cold sweat run down my face. He really is intense.

"There would be two caveats, however. Firstly, we would not attack the Hidden Leaf Village. It was not the village's fault that the Uchiha were insolent, after all. Only the clan was to blame. Secondly, I wanted to spare my younger brother Sasuke." In his heart, was there some kind of soft spot?

I ask, "Why did you want to spare him?" Itachi's expression changed, ever so slightly. I seemed to have struck a chord. As quickly as it changed, however, he went right back to being wholeheartedly uninterested.

"Well, that is quite simple. I needed someone to test myself against." So much for the soft spot. "Only he had the potential to truly test my abilities. So, I made him hate me, so he would train day and night to grow strong enough to kill me. This would truly test my strength. Also, once I dispatched my younger brother, I could have his eyes for the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan."

Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan? What is that?

Ryuji asked before I could. "What is this, Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan?"

"Did Madara teach you nothing of our clan's visual prowess?" Itachi questions. Now the stares were directed to my brother. "First, you must know of the Mangekyou. It is the level above the Sharingan which the two of you have likely awakened. As you know, the Sharingan awakens in an event of emotional stress. The Mangekyou is similar, however the stress needed to awaken it is far greater in intensity. The only stress intense enough to awaken the Mangekyou is… the loss of a loved one." Another chill shoots down my spine, and I feel as if I could get sick. "The problem with the Mangekyou is that it is a double edged sword. It gives access to abilities more powerful than you could imagine. The drawback is that the more you use it, the more the light will leave your eyes. Too much usage of the Mangekyou, and one will go completely blind, and lose all of their power."

"Now, when two people have the Mangekyou Sharingan, given that they have strong blood ties, one can take the eyes of the other, and implant them into oneself. This awakens the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan. There is no risk of blindness, no matter how much one uses its power. Not only that, it can even give some extra strength to one's techniques granted to them by the Mangekyou, as well as a lower chakra cost. This is what I wish for. I need my brother's eyes, before I lose the light in mine, and to become even more powerful than I currently am."

Neither Ryuji nor I knew what to say in response. This was more intense than I could've ever imagined.

"Well, if you have no more questions, I will be on my way." He turns to leave, and words leave my mouth with a will of their own.

"Wait!" I cry. Itachi turns towards me. "What was Father like?"

Itachi pauses, as if I caught him off guard. A look of surprise spreads across his face. He quickly regains his composure.

"He was a powerful, respected man. He took great pride in my abilities. Yes, he was a very proud father, indeed. Eventually, though, I grew more powerful than him. He didn't like that. It fueled the clan's abhorrent antics… I loved my father, but he could not be excluded after everything the clan had done."

There is another moment of brief silence. Ryuji finally breaks it, "Thank you for your time, Itachi."

"Yes, thank you," I add.

Itachi begins to walk back down the corridor. His voice echoes down the chamber as he leaves. "It's truly a shame that my father sullied his memory…"

"... by creating you two bastards."

I cringe once more at the word. He continues to walk into the darkness of the corridor, until he is no longer in sight. I can't get the brief moments of pain in his eyes while he spoke of his family out of my head. He spoke as if he had no remorse, but I can't believe that to be true. There has to be more to this…

And I will find my answers.


	8. The Mission, Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two months after meeting Itachi, Ryuji and Nyoko are tasked with a mission from Madara to take out a double agent who infiltrated the Akatsuki.

Ryuji  
Two months have passed since we met our half-brother. It felt good having closure after learning why Itachi massacred the Uchiha clan, and it allowed me to put my complete focus into training. Thanks to Madara, Nyoko and I have grown much stronger since we began training with him. Our chakra reserves have grown, we have become more efficient in using our chakra, and we are able to use the Sharingan more effectively than ever.  
Nyoko and I meet with Madara in our training field, as we did every morning.  
“Thank you for coming, as usual, but I have something a little bit different for you today,” Madara said. Something different? I look at Nyoko, and she looks just as confused as I am. “Instead of training, I have a mission for you two.”  
I feel butterflies in my stomach. We haven’t done a mission for Madara since we were tasked with retrieving money from the Land of River’s Daimyo. I have been waiting anxiously for another mission, and it has finally come our way.  
“Let me start at the beginning of my little… predicament. The Akatsuki had contracted a medical ninja who had formerly belonged to the Village Hidden in the Stand. His name is Akihiro. He was quite the asset, as missions for the Akatsuki’s members tend to be extremely dangerous and my men would often need healed afterwards. Unfortunately, Akihiro turned out to be a double agent. He is still loyal to the Village Hidden in the Sand, and has been giving the Kazekage information about my organization. Thankfully, Akihiro has not been given information that could directly jeopardize my plans, but still, a rat is a rat, no matter how small. A meeting had been arranged between him and I at a hideout here in the Land of Rivers. I would like for you two to intercept him. I’m sure you can guess what I would like for you to do from there.”  
“You want us to assassinate him, is that right?” Nyoko says, blankly.  
“Very good deduction skills, Nyoko. You would be correct, I need you two to assassinate Akihiro before he can cause any more trouble for me.” Nyoko appears to be uneasy. I can’t blame her, as I don’t feel completely comfortable with this. If it is our mission, though, and it shall be completed.  
“What does this, Akihiro, look like?” I ask.  
“He is a rather unassuming man. He lacks many distinct features, aside from his hair, which is a peculiar, bright red. He has fair skin, and wears black, rectangular glasses as well.” Madara takes out a map with two X’s marked on it. He points to one of them, which lies in the Land of Rivers. “This mark is placed on our current location,” he directs his finger to the other X, which lies on the border of the Land of Rivers and the Land of Wind, “and this mark is placed where Akihiro is going to cross into the Land of Rivers. I need you two to go to this location and wait for him to arrive. You know what to do from there. Good luck.”  
Madara hands me the map and swirls away, disappearing from our sight.  
“Well,” I say, “we better not waste time. Let’s go.”

Nyoko hardly speaks as we travel. She has been acting rather strange as of late. She just gets up, goes to training, and then retreats to her quarters until the next day. I’ve never felt so disconnected from her. We’ve been partners since birth, we did everything together. Training, eating, missions, everything was done by each other’s side. Not anymore, I now only see her for a few hours out of the day. I wish I knew why… I know she isn’t very fond of Madara, but is she truly this bothered?  
We eventually reach the point on the border where Akihiro is set to cross. The area is surrounded by woods, with a dirt path that is difficult to follow due to the leaves on the ground and the lack of light caused by the dense forest.  
“Let’s hide up in the trees and wait for him to show up,” I say to Nyoko.  
“Alright,” she replies.  
After about an hour of waiting, a figure finally emerges on the path. I look closely to make sure he matches the description Madara gave us, but much of the path is not visible due to the trees’ shade. The figure walks into a ray of light, revealing his appearance. Bright red hair and black, rectangular glasses. Bingo. I signal to Nyoko, who sits on a tree about 20 meters away, and she directs her attention to Akihiro. I prepare to jump down, but Nyoko extends her hand to stop me. She whispers to me, “He’s not alone.”  
I look at Akihiro again, and realize that Nyoko is right. There is someone with him, someone who is much smaller than he is, wearing a black cloak that hides their appearance. Nyoko quietly makes her way to me. “What do we do?” she asks.  
I think for a moment. “Let’s tail him. Madara didn’t say anything about an accomplice, he must be up to something.”  
We continue to follow them from a distance. Akihiro and the accomplice begin to stray from the dirt path. Where are they going?  
After another half an hour of travel, they arrive at a clearing in the forest, in which there is a small hut towards the treeline. Once they get inside of the hut, Nyoko and I make our way towards it, carefully hiding our presence.  
We approach a window to see what they are doing. Without alerting them, I peer in and notice that the unknown accomplice has removed their cloak. It’s a child. The young boy has bright red hair, just like Akihiro’s, and is very pale with a gaunt face. Nyoko grabs my shoulder. “That must be his son,” she says. “We have to figure out what’s going on before we do anything else, Madara said nothing about a child.”  
I think it over. She’s right, this wasn’t part of the equation. But still…  
“We have a mission to do, Nyoko. We have to complete it.”  
“What are you talking about?! We can’t kill a man in front of his own child!” she says, clearly appalled.  
“Do you think I feel good about this? Regardless, a mission is a mission… we have to complete it.”  
“Ryuji, I beg of you, let’s think this through first!” Nyoko cries.  
“Nyoko, quiet down. We can’t alert them.” She looks at me with a look of sheer disappointment. “I promise…” I shut my eyes and take a deep breath, “I’ll make this quick.”  
I make my way to the front of the hut and open the front door. Akihiro and his son turn to face me. “Wh-Who are you?!” Akihiro questions, frantically.  
“I am Ryuji Uchiha. The Akatsuki knows of your wrongdoing, and I am here to put an end to them.”  
Akihiro becomes pale in an instant, and his eyes grow wide. “P-Papa, wh-what is he saying?” the child cries in fear.  
“Please… Please I beg of you, don’t do something you’ll regret, sir. Pl-please, I beg.” Akihiro’s voice shakes with each word that leaves his mouth.  
I feel a pit forming in my stomach. “I-I’m sorry, Akihiro… but orders are orders. This is the end of the line. You should not have crossed the Akatsuki.” I draw my kunai and the child’s cries grow more intense. Each blood curdling scream makes the pit in my stomach grow.  
“P-Pl-Please Mr. Uchiha, p-please don’t do this! Not in front of my boy!” Akihiro begs.  
I close my eyes and prepare to take the steps towards them. I have to do this. I lift my foot from the floor. I open my eyes. The sight of them, father and son, holding each other, knowing they are living their final moments, is enough to make me want to throw up.  
The moment my foot finds the floor, I feel a blunt force crash into the back of my head. My vision goes black and I fall to the ground. I see stars. It takes what feels like minutes to regain my sense of sight. I stumble back to my feet, still disoriented. I turn around to see what hit me, and see Nyoko, clutching a branch in her hands. Her eyes are closed as tightly as possible “Wh-what…” I barely get the words out, still not fully recovered from the blow.  
Nyoko drops the branch on the floor. She opens her eyes to reveal her Sharingan, now with three tomoe present in the iris.  
“Enough is enough, Ryuji!”


	9. The Mission, Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Nyoko's sudden betrayal, she and Ryuji will battle over whose ideology is best for them moving forward.

Nyoko  
I take a few steps back after Ryuji turns towards me. Brimming with rage, I stare intensely at my brother as he staggers to his feet. He stands about fifteen feet away from me, with about twenty between him and Akihiro as the doctor clutches his son tightly in his grasp. I need to give them the chance to get out of here before Ryuji can do anything to harm them. I can feel a new sensation in my eyes, similar to when I first had awoken my Sharingan. Perhaps it has finally evolved into its fully matured form. Madara had said that it evolves with emotional distress. What could be more emotionally distressing than this exact situation I find myself in: my brother, my own flesh and blood, going down a dark path. A path of coldness, so much so that he would be willing to eliminate an innocent man and his child at the behest of a psychopath in an orange mask. Yes, quite distressing indeed.  
Ryuji stares blankly at me. His expression grows into one of great confusion. He opens his mouth as if to speak, but no words come out. I feel tears begin to well up in my eyes, but I fight to keep them from finding their way out. I can’t stand this...   
“Nyoko…” he groans. He still hasn’t fully recovered from the blow to the back of his head. It shall take him a few more minutes to fully regain his wits. “W-Why? What are you doing?”  
I breathe deeply. “I can’t do this anymore, Ryuji. This has gone too far. You have gone too far. The path you are dragging me down, I can’t follow it anymore. I can’t let you follow it anymore. I am putting an end to this, here and now! I won’t follow the orders of Madara anymore!” I can no longer contain my rage. The look of shock only grows more intense on Ryuji’s face as the words reach him.  
“I… I don’t understand. Madara has given us everything we wanted. You wanted to find our family, and he delivered. We never would have met Itachi without Madara’s help. We owe him everything!”  
“I owe that man nothing! He has made me do things I couldn’t do in my worst nightmares! We’ve stolen for him, we are forced to live by his beck and call! Ryuji, you’ve murdered a man for him! And you are willing to murder for him again! It’s true, it was me who wanted to learn more about our family, and meet our long lost relatives… but… the things we have had to go through, all because of Madara… they make me wish we had never left the Hidden Grass, and that I never found out I was an Uchiha!” I grow louder with each word spoken until I speak in a painful scream. I can see Akihiro against the back wall, still clutching his son. He stares at me intently, a look of awe coming about once I utter the name of Uchiha. That name has meaning to him. No matter, I still need to find a way to get him out of here safely. With each passing moment, Ryuji is recovering, and he is still a danger to the pair. “Akihiro, take your son and run, get somewhere safe!”  
Ryuji’s look of shock turns into one of anger. “THEY ARE NOT GOING ANYWHERE!” Still not fully recovered, he stumbles to turn around and try to reach Akihiro.  
I quickly weave signs, “Earth Style: Rock Wall!” Between Ryuji and Akihiro arises a wall of earth that fully sections off the back portion of the room, Akihiro and his son disappearing behind it. So long as they exit out of a window and run, I can hold Ryuji off long enough for them to escape. That’s one less thing for me to worry about.  
Ryuji halts before the wall of stone and turns to me, the anger bubbling within him reaches its boiling point, and is now white-hot rage. “WE HAVE A MISSION, NYOKO! WE ARE NOT LEAVING WITHOUT AKIHIRO’S HEAD!”  
“Ryuji, if you want to kill Akihiro…” Ryuji’s rage does not waver, he bears a look in his eyes more intense than anything I have ever seen from my brother. “... you’ll have to kill me too.”  
The murderous intent in his eyes drains, and his rage-filled face now appears to be one of anguish. It appears that my words have resonated with him. “Nyoko… don’t do this…”  
Tears fill my eyes once again. “I’m sorry, Ryuji. But I refuse to follow you down this path anymore. If you want to continue this way, then I no longer have a brother.” With those last words, I’m not able to hold back my tears. Ryuji closes his eyes tightly. I wonder if he’s trying to hold back his own tears. Have my words been enough to bring him to the light? Ryuji drops his kunai on the ground. A feeling of relief begins to fill me.  
“Nyoko…” he utters, painfully. “I’m sorry.” He opens his eyes to reveal his activated Sharingan, now with three tomoe present. It’s fully matured.  
Ryuji charges towards me, and every ounce of relief that I felt mere moments ago is gone in the blink of an eye. He throws a straight punch directly at my head. Unusual that he would use such a direct, powerful strike from the start. I slip to my left and hear the air whizz by my ear and his arm flies past my head. I drive my right fist into his gut, staggering him. I take a few steps back before delivering a turning side kick directly to his solar plexus. The force is enough to send him flying backwards into the stone wall in the middle of the room. He lets out a loud cough, and looks me in the eye. The intensity is back in full effect.  
“Stop this Nyoko! Have you lost your mind!” He cries, still not back to his feet.  
“It’s you who has lost their mind, Ryuji! Look at yourself! You wish to kill an innocent man and his child, you are willing to attack your own sister, all because of a mad man in a mask and cloak!” Months worth of frustration and agony are pouring out of me all at once, it feels like a weight is being lifted from my shoulders.  
“Madara is a good man. He has given us all we wanted. We owe him!”  
Now I truly know where my brother’s heart lies, and it is no longer with me. “I owe him nothing, Ryuji. I will not be his pawn anymore, I won’t commit any more crimes on his behalf!” I hope those two got away safely. This could get ugly.  
“With or without you, Nyoko, I will find Akihiro, and I will kill him!”  
“I’ve already told you. If you want to kill him, you’ll have to kill me first.” I know by this point that my words are not enough to stop him, but that doesn’t stop my heart from hoping that they will. I don’t want to have to strike my brother down, but I may have to try.  
Ryuji gets back to his feet and we lock eyes. In that moment, it feels as if we can read each other’s minds. We both understand what is going to happen now. I take one more deep breath before engaging in this showdown with my own twin brother. I jump backwards several times in order to get out of the hut. I know that the events that are soon to come will need more space. Our eye contact never breaks.  
Ryuji charges at me, and I hesitate a moment before charging in as well. Kicks and punches are thrown from both of us, but just as we normally would in sparring, we neutralize each other’s attacks due to the perception of the Sharingan. I begin to wonder why all of our spars started like this. We both know that neither will gain the upper hand. Perhaps it is just a silly tradition that we both enjoyed. Even now that it is no longer a spar between twins, but a battle between foes, we still cling to that very tradition. We continue engaging, both only achieving glancing blows with nothing even close to a critical hit coming to fruition. As I throw a looping hook at Ryuji’s head, he jumps backwards, ending the stalemate. He begins weaving hand signs that I don’t recognize. This can’t be… does he have a jutsu that I’ve never seen before?  
“Ninja Art: Flaming Fist!”  
Before my eyes, Ryuji’s hands begin to glow a bright orange, small wisps of flames licking the air around them. Ryuji charges in once again, throwing wild strikes at my head and torso alike. I try to dodge as many as I can, but I am forced to block a punch with my arms. An intense burning sensation spreads throughout my forearm. Even his glancing blows are going to do me in now. This is bad. I try to hide the pain. I throw a punch aimed directly at Ryuji’s nose with my left hand. He catches the punch, engulfing my fist in a sea of bright orange flame. The pain is so intense that I can no longer hide it. “AAUUUGGHHHHH!!!” I let out a guttural cry. I quickly and forcefully kick Ryuji in the gut in order to get him away and break his grip. I jump backwards to create more distance between us.  
“When did you learn this!? We trained only together for our entire lives, I’ve never seen this before!”  
A wicked grin spreads across his face. “Madara saw potential in my Heated Palm Jutsu and suggested that I develop it further. That’s when I had the idea to further hone it and utilize it in combat. The Flaming Fist technique augments my existing Taijutsu techniques by burning my opponent with each strike that lands. With this, even a scratch will hurt like hell.”  
This is really bad. Even in sparring he tended to get the best of me, and that was without this ace up his sleeve. I draw a kunai from my pouch. I look at my brother, standing across the field. I need to think of a plan. How can I keep him at a distance so he can’t use that Flaming Fist, while still dealing enough damage from mid to long range to secure this battle? This is far from my strong suit. Ryuji has always been a better analyst than I.  
Before I can put together a sufficient gameplan, Ryuji charges in once again. Okay, don’t worry about trying to get your own hits in, just focus on slipping and dodging. I can’t win this fight at close range. I can feel the heat from each punch that flies past my head. I dart around the field like a rabbit, desperately trying to evade Ryuji’s punches. I lean back to avoid a hook aimed at my head, and thrust my kunai towards Ryuji’s chest. He catches the kunai in his palm, and the blade melts in his hand. There goes that idea. Time for something else. I use the momentary pause in the action to deliver a knee to Ryuji’s stomach. He doubles over, and I waste no time beginning to weave hand seals.  
“Earth Style: Hidden Mole Jutsu!” I see Ryuji try to grab onto my head before I disappear into the ground, but he isn’t fast enough. I burrow into the earth, buying myself enough time to create distance and think of a plan. Ryuji has always been a Fire Style user, he certainly hasn’t become proficient enough in Earth Style to be able to follow me well enough to catch me down here. I can’t waste time though. If he deems it fit, he could very well disregard me and start hunting for Akihiro again. I can’t risk that, I need to give Akihiro more time to get himself and his son as far away as possible.  
I travel underground far enough to know that I have created sufficient distance between myself and Ryuji upon resurfacing. When I finally return above ground, Ryuji is unaware of my location. He stands about fifty yards away from me. Perfect. I begin weaving hand seals.  
“Earth Style: Mud River!”  
Ryuji, now aware of my location, turns towards me and sees the current of thick mud rushing towards him. He leaps to the side with great haste in order to not be swept up.  
“The same cheap tricks won’t work on me twice, Nyoko!” He begins to weave signs of his own.  
“Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!”  
Before the conglomeration of flame can leave his mouth, I weave more signs of my own. “Earth Style: Earth Dragon Bombs!” From the mouth of the mud river emerges the head of a dragon. The dragon head turns to face Ryuji, opens its mouth, and fires balls of earth directly at him.  
The fireball makes its way towards me, and I quickly get out of the way, just as Ryuji did with the mud river. However, the earth bombs pass through Ryuji’s fireball, causing them to ignite. Ryuji fails to realize this, failing to see the earth bombs through the shroud of bright orange flame. The earth bombs reduce in size due to incineration, but are still large enough to do damage. Upon discovering the danger he is in, Ryuji desperately tries to evade, but cannot completely get out of the way. He dodges several of the flaming bombs before one strikes him in the leg.  
Ryuji clutches his leg and falls to the ground, writhing in pain. My Sharingan deactivates and I fall to my hands and knees due to exhausting too much of my chakra. In the distance I see Ryuji attempting to stand back up, but failing to do so. “Okay Nyoko! I must admit it! You got me! Congratulations for evolving for once!” He breaks out into a maniacal cackle. His laughter rings throughout the field. I get back to my feet and make my way towards him, still lying on the ground in pain.  
“You aren’t the only one... with tricks up your sleeve... Ryuji.” I pant heavily between my words. I’ve never been this exhausted from a battle before. I hope he stays down.  
Ryuji slowly struggles back to his feet. He looks me in the eyes before deactivating his Flaming Fist. He must be conserving chakra in order to keep his Sharingan active. This battle is not yet over. Despite my fatigue, I charge in with all my might. I throw a punch that Ryuji easily dodges, causing me to soar past him. I plant my foot on the ground and use my other foot to sweep his injured leg, causing him to collapse to the ground once again. I raise the same foot to attempt to stomp his stomach, but he rolls out of the way.  
Ryuji reaches into his pouch as I stagger towards him. I’m exhausted. I need to finish this now. Before I can make any other moves, he throws ninja wire at my leg, wrapping it around my ankle and tripping me. I reach into my own pouch as Ryuji stands up. I throw two shuriken: one at his head, and one at the wire he holds in his hand. I successfully sever the wire, as well as open a deep cut on Ryuji’s cheek.  
Ryuji feels the blood pouring out of the cut, all the way down to his chin. “I... I can't believe we've gone this far.” he says, his voice clearly shaking.  
“I can’t either,” I admit. “It isn’t too late for you, Ryuji. You can still leave Madara’s grasp.”  
Ryuji closes his eyes tightly. “Madara has done too much for us, I can’t just abandon him. I want to pay him back for all he has done to help us. I want to help him fulfill his ambitions!” His eyes open, tears streaming down his cheeks, diluting the blood that still pours from his laceration.  
I stand back up. “I refuse to sit by and watch you descend into darkness, Ryuji. If I have to defeat you here, I will.”  
“My mind has been made up… and I can tell that yours has too. Perhaps we should just call it quits, and go our separate ways… sister.”  
I begin to cry even more. I can feel my heart breaking in my chest. “I’m not just going to part ways and let this be the end. I am going to try to bring you to the light until the very last moment.”  
Ryuji takes in a deep breath, and releases it slowly. He opens his mouth, but pauses for a moment before saying anything.  
Finally, he speaks: “So be it.”  
We walk each other down, once again throwing strikes, our fatigue making them far more sloppy than they usually would be. I know I am now safe at close range since he no longer has his Flaming Fist active. I throw a punch targeted at the cut on his cheek, and I connect perfectly, further opening the wound. He winces in pain. We continue to throw strikes, neither of us connecting with anything significant. I may collapse at any moment. I can’t go on much longer. But I have to keep fighting. At least long enough to outlast you… my brother.  
He throws a straight punch and I slip to my right in order to evade it. He catches me with a head kick as I lean into it. The same kick he defeated me with in our sparring match all that time ago. Dammit… he got me again. My vision goes black, my body trying to force itself to shut down. No… this can’t be the end. I have to stop him… but…   
I feel my body hitting the floor, even though the rest of my senses have left me now. Is this it? Have I simply lost again?  
I have so little energy, I feel as if I go to sleep I may never awaken again. I don’t want to believe what has happened. This must all be a horrible nightmare. It must be...   
No. This is reality. I can’t let this end here. I have to save my brother from the darkness. I will make him see the light.  
I shake my head until the light returns to my eyes. I see a flash of white before my vision focuses once again. I look up and see Ryuji, sitting on the ground, panting heavily. He makes eye contact with me, a look of awe on his face.  
I struggle to get on all fours, and Ryuji stands back up. He looks down at me as I continue to struggle. He walks towards me, stopping in front of my face. I grab at his knee, trying to use it for some stability to get back up. I have to stop you… I can’t let this be the end.  
I look up at his face, and his awe has turned to frustration. “Why… Why are you still conscious? I should have beaten you several times over by now.”  
I try to speak but can barely find the strength for it. “I… I… I ha-have… to…”  
Before I can come close to finishing my sentence, he grabs me by the throat and lifts me to my feet. I try to pry his hands from my neck.  
“Stop struggling, Nyoko. I have won.” He deactivates his Sharingan. Suddenly, a searing pain spreads across my neck and my hands where I hold his grasp on me. I look down and see the bright orange glow of the Flaming Fist. The pain is more intense than anything I have ever felt. I can smell my flesh burning.  
“H-H-” I struggle to speak even more than before.  
“Don’t speak sister. It’ll only hurt more if you do. The moment we locked eyes after you damaged my leg with the Earth Dragon Bombs, I placed you under a genjutsu using the Sharingan.”  
Genjutsu…?  
“You’d normally be immune to genjutsu as a result of having the Sharingan. Which is why I had to wait until yours deactivated. I knew that yours would deactivate before mine. You have stamina issues, always have. It was only a matter of time before I was able to trap you. You thought that I had deactivated the Flaming Fist, but that was merely an illusion of yours. I used genjutsu to completely change your perception of my attacks. You couldn’t see the flames glow, feel their heat, hear your skin sizzle, or smell your flesh burn.”  
I start to black out again. Am I really… going to die here?  
“You made me do this to you, Nyoko. You may have helped Akihiro get away, but that will be the last time you squander Madara’s plans. I’ve won, again.”  
Ryuji releases me from his grasp and I crumple to the ground.  
no… ryuji...   
My consciousness fades away.


	10. Anguish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that the grueling battle has reached it's violent conclusion, Ryuji must deal with the consequences of his actions.

Ryuji

I walk out of the clearing into the dense, green forest. While the sounds of the birds chirping and rodents rummaging through trees and bushes would normally be prominent, they all seem so distant to me at this moment. My legs are heavy, as if they were filled with lead. Each step is agonizing, lifting my foot having become a herculean task.

Is this because of how much chakra I've expended… or…?

My breathing has become labored ever since the last few moments of the battle, but it seems to have become more labored still as I hobble from the epicenter of my most shameful act.

Did I really…?

I place the palm of my hand against a tree to rest for a moment. This is the most energy I've ever expended in a battle. To think that the sister whom I always got the better of would push me so far.

So far as to force me to kill her.

I collapse to my knees and vomit. The true weight of my actions crash down on me like the ocean's waves on the sandy shores of the beach. My stomach feels like someone is churning butter inside of it. My entire body aches and my head throbs. My breathing becomes more shallow with each breath I take.

Did I really kill Nyoko?

I've never felt anguish in my heart such as this. I start panting rapidly.

Did I have to go so far?

I try to get back to my feet, but the injury I sustained to my left leg prevents me from doing so. I fall face-first into the dirt. My breathing becomes faster and shallower by each passing second. My head starts to get fuzzy and my vision darkens.

I killed my sister.

Suddenly, I feel a sharp pain in both of my eyes. It feels as if someone placed a knife into fire and then drove it into my eyeballs.

What is this? I didn't sustain any injuries to my eyes.

I writhe on the ground, each and every cell in my body in absolute agony. My vision continues to darken until I finally pass out.

When I awaken I am still in great pain, except for the pain in my eyes, which has strangely subsided. I slowly open my eyes and find myself no longer in the forest, but in a dimly lit room. No, not just a room. I'm in my own room.

This is Madara's hideout. How did I get here?

I struggle to sit up and get out of my bed. I look around the dingy room. Someone found me and brought me back. Could it have been Madara? What will he say about my mission's failure? What will he say about…?

I hobble towards the door and exit into the main hallway. Madara is waiting for me, leaning against the wall across from me.

"Well, well. You've finally woken up. Splendid," he says.

"How did I get here?" I ask.

"After a couple of days had passed and you hadn't yet returned, I knew that something must have gone awry. I saw to it that you were found, and promptly returned to my custody."

I look down, shamefully. I don't respond to him. I wouldn't know what to say, even if I wanted to speak.

"I can't help but notice we are short on a couple of parties. Tell me, Ryuji: where is Akihiro's corpse, and where is your sister?"

My heart sinks down into my core. I fight to keep tears from flowing out of my eyes.

"Nyoko… betrayed us… she stopped me from killing Akihiro, and allowed him to escape… I… I tried to get her to see the errors of her ways, but… she wouldn't listen. She was determined… determined to fight me… I tried to subdue her so I could bring her back with me… but…"

"But you failed. Is that it?"

A pit forms in my stomach. "Yes… I couldn't get her to see my… our perspective. I was forced… to…"

"To slay your own sister."

His words echo throughout the hall, and I feel their power deep in my soul. My efforts are now for naught as I sob uncontrollably in front of Madara. He stays silent for now, which worries me. He thinks I'm weak.

Finally, Madara speaks: "Do not worry, Ryuji. You did the right thing. Insubordination cannot be tolerated when handling such important matters such as these. It was only a matter of time before she betrayed us. I could see it in her eyes. Her heart did not lie with our ideals."

While he sounded like he was attempting to reassure me, my heart still ached. None of my anguish subsided as a result of his words. My sobbing continues. I feel helpless, standing in a puddle of my own tears in a dim, grey hall.

"I have just one question for you, Ryuji." I look up at him. He places his hand on the top of my head, and I feel a wave of energy resonate throughout my skull. Just as I felt before in the forest, a sharp pain finds its way to my eyes. This time, however, there is also a feeling of immense pressure in them, as if they may burst at any moment. He takes his hand off of my head as I clutch my eyes. "Ah," Madara says, "just as I had hoped."

"What are you talking about?" I ask, filled with confusion. The pain and the pressure end just as quickly as they had begun.

"As you know, the Sharingan is awakened by intense emotional distress. Well, an event of even greater emotional distress can evolve it even further. You see, Ryuji, killing your sister, it is exactly what you needed to do in order to awaken your Mangekyou Sharingan."

The Mangekyou Sharingan? I've awakened it?

"Yes, I remember," I say, "Itachi said it can only be awakened by the loss of a loved one."

"Well, he is technically right, but it often takes a bit more than that. Losing a loved one is not usually distressful enough. What truly is powerful enough to awaken it is killing the loved one yourself."

I feel a chill run down my spine and my blood goes cold.

"Ah, you didn't even know that, did you? Itachi is full of little tricks like that. Not that it matters anyway. Regardless, you've done it. Your power shall only grow from here on out."

I remain silent. This is too much for my mind to handle. Tears are still finding their way out of my eyes and down my face, dampening the bandage that someone placed over the cut on my cheek.

"Take today to rest, Ryuji. We shall begin unlocking the secrets to your Mangekyou tomorrow." His tone grows more excited with each word he speaks. "I can't wait to see what your eyes have to offer."


	11. Disarray

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nyoko wonders where her spirit is heading now that she has been disposed of by her own flesh and blood.

Nyoko

where am I…?

I can't tell if I'm unable to open my eyes, or if everything is just pitch black around me. I feel like I'm separated from my body, and my mind is in a thick, dense fog.

am I… dead?

I feel like I'm floating in the air, as if my body had turned to smoke. It's like I'm not physically here… wherever here is. I feel myself cascading downward, like a leaf that fell from a tree branch.

I vaguely feel my feet plant onto the ground, yet everything is still pitch black around me for as far as my eyes can see. Maybe they are just forced shut and I can't feel it. I struggle to feel any part of my body right now, it would not surprise me if my cursed eyes were included. I try to look around, but my movements are slow and forced, as if I were underwater. Once I finally turn my head and body around, I see the first semblance of light in the distance. It glows bright orange and yellow, but it lies in such a small point on the horizon, I wonder if I could ever even reach it.

Well, I guess I should try.

I plod forward, each step feeling like I am pulling my foot from quicksand. The fog in my mind grows thicker as I travel towards the light, and I feel more and more removed from my body. It's like I'm going back up into the sky.

Am I going to the afterlife?

I continue to plod forward. I can't go now, I need to find out what this light is. Every movement I make is straining my body, I feel like if I get much closer I'll become paralyzed. My body continues to evaporate into the air as I near the light.

I'm able to get close enough to begin to make out what I see before me. It's a fire, a rather small one though. I can hear the crackling of the kindling, but I am unable to feel the flame's warmth. Perhaps that's for the best. Fire doesn't exactly hold the best connotation with me anymore. Beside it sits something… no, someone. It's a man. He looks to be wearing a green cargo vest, and he has shoulder length brown hair. I try to reach him, but I have trouble getting close enough to touch him. It's like he's drifting away from me, without moving a muscle. No, it is I who is drifting away. I'm floating back into the air from whence I came.

"Sir, who are you!" I cry, though my voice is weak.

The man begins to turn around, however not fully. Just enough so for me to see the side of his head as I drift into the heavens.

He now turns around to face me, but I can't see his face due to the backlighting from the fire. The shadowy man speaks: "I'm sorry, but it isn't your time yet."

What do you mean? I tried to speak, but no words left my mouth. As I continue to drift into the black sky, I feel something that I've unfortunately become well acquainted with: the separation from my consciousness.

When I regain consciousness, if you could even call it regaining consciousness, I faintly hear someone speaking.

"… is she alive…?"

I wish I could answer that, but I don't know the answer myself.

My body feels like it is full of lead. I couldn't move a muscle, not even open my eyes if I wanted to. It's as if my body is dead, but my soul remains alive, condemned to exist for eternity in the husk that connects me to the world of the living.

The fog in my brain thickens, and just like that, I black out once again.

My brain stirs again with more speaking: "… I assure you, I mean you no harm. Just get her the help she needs, I'll be sure he doesn't interfere." The voice sounds oddly familiar, but I can't put my finger on it. I try to open my eyes, but to no avail.

I have to be dead. No one could feel this and still truly be alive.

I fade into sleep once more.

I awaken again, more and more annoyed by the constant flow between consciousness and unconsciousness.

Can I not just stay asleep or just wake up?

I hear more talking. I can't tell what annoys me more, my inability to stay awake, or my inability to know what is occurring around me. I can only make out some of the conversation, the only words I hear being: "… I hope you are right… I must take… only worry about Nyoko…"

It's the same voice from before… How does he know my name? Who is he? How do I know him?

I know the feeling all too well now. Please, just don't let me wake up this time.

I awaken once more, but this time, my eyes flutter open. The sudden influx of light blinds me, and my eyes take what feels like an eternity to acclimate. I hear a soft beeping to my right. When I can finally see what's around me, I slowly move my head to each side, though I'm met with a lot of resistance. I'm in a room, everything in it appears to be bright white: the walls, the ceiling, the floor, even the bed I lay in. To my right side there is a window, the source of the bright light that blinded me. Also to my right, there is some sort of monitor, with many wires stemming from it. I follow them with my eyes, and see that several of them connect to my right hand. When I look to my left, I see a tube sticking out of my arm, connecting to another machine, this one with a bag of some sort of liquid.

Where the hell am I? How did I get in a hospital?

I try to lift my head, but I don't have the strength. Even moving my arms feels impossible. I feel pressure around my head and neck, something is wrapped tightly around them. Bandages, probably.

What the hell was all of that before? Was it all a dream. What did that strange man mean… I recall the mystery man's words: "It isn't your time yet…"

The door opens and I tense up, I can see the door well enough to know that someone has entered the room. They wear a white jacket with a white shirt underneath, and grey pants with black sandals. Their most distinguishing feature is their bright red hair, and they wear black, blocky glasses.

Akihiro.

"W-What… are you… doing h-here?" I speak for the first time since my battle with Ryuji. My voice is weak and hoarse, I'm honestly surprised that any words even left my mouth.

"Oh my god! You're awake!" He cries. He rushes to my side. "How do you feel?"

"Where a-am I? W-What's going on?" I ask, frantically. Though, I'm not sure he can tell that I'm frantic given the state of my voice.

"Oh, of course, you don't know. This is a long story, so I apologize in advance." I listen closely, impatiently waiting to know what has happened. "You see, when you used that jutsu to keep the man away from my son and I, we fled out of a window. I picked Tenpi up and ran, ran as fast as I could. I'd never feared for my life like that before. After a few hours of running on and off, I tried to figure out what my next move was. It was clear that the Akatsuki wanted me dead, so I had to flee them at all costs. However, I had a lot of important materials and papers in my hut, things that would've made a return to my home village, the Hidden Sand, difficult at best, and impossible at worst. I pondered my options. My absolute priority was to keep my son safe. I was too far from any of the other Great Nations to seek asylum from them, my only option was to attempt to return to the Hidden Sand. So, I had to go back to my hut and get my belongings.

"I kept my senses keen, I had to make sure that no Akatsuki members or affiliates had been tailing me, or were wandering around the area in which my hut resided. When I got back, I could see that a battle had taken place… it looked ugly. I was looking around as I neared my hut, and I saw a body lying in the grass. I assumed that they were dead, but the doctor in me forces me to always check for a pulse. I dragged my feet towards the body, and I saw you. I was certain that you were dead. The burns on your neck and head, the bruises and the blood that had soaked the ground all over the clearing… I couldn't see a scenario in which you survived. However, I checked for your pulse anyway, and while it was weak, probably the weakest pulse I've ever felt, you had one.

"I got you into the hut and began treating you to the best of my ability. I was able to stabilize you, but it became apparent very quickly that if you were to stay alive much longer, you would need more medical attention than I alone in the middle of nowhere could offer. So, I had to take you here. Oh, of course, you don't know where here is. You're at the Katabami Gold Mine Village. It was the nearest place where I knew they would have the tools necessary to treat you properly. Plus, I had worked with these doctors in the past, and I was owed a favor or two from them. I also knew that this place would be safe from the Akatsuki, so I'd be able to keep you here as long as needed."

So many thoughts and questions raced through my mind, I barely knew where to begin. "B-But how? How did you g-get me here? H-How do y-you know the Ak-Akatsuki won't come?" I ramble.

"Don't worry about any of that, just take my word for it. I have nothing to gain from lying to you about anything."

My head is spinning, I feel as if my brain is trying to crawl out of my head. "But… Why have y-you gone through so m-much trouble to s-save me?" I ask, meekly.

"You risked your life to save my son and I. For that, I will forever be in your debt," he says. "Now, your wounds and injuries were severe, but myself and the other doctors here expect for you to make a full recovery. The burns on your head and neck have nearly completely healed, as has a rib you had broken. The main issue is the general head trauma you sustained in combat. It appears that you had a concussion, among other things. I think you'll need a few more weeks to fully heal from that."

Hearing the list of injuries shook me to my core. I had no idea I had sustained so much damage. "I-I didn't even know t-that I broke a r-rib…"

"Well, either the adrenaline prevented you from feeling it, or you are truly just too tough for your own good." He smirks, seemingly amused by his own assertion.

"The injuries you m-mentioned sound like a-a lot… How is it p-possible that I'll re-recover in just a f-few weeks?"

"Nyoko…" he pauses. "You've been in a coma for six weeks."

My heart drops. Six weeks?! How could I have been out for that long? It feels as though everything had happened just yesterday. Had my dreams really taken six weeks?

Akihiro breaks the silence. "I know this is a lot to take in, I'm going to leave you be so you can rest for a while, and hopefully process everything. Before I go, I want to thank you for saving my son and I. I am eternally grateful." Akihiro walks to the door and exits, softly shutting the door behind him.

I can't even speak to say 'you're welcome' or to thank him for his help as he leaves the room. I am in complete shock. Six weeks… To think, I battled my brother to what we thought was the death over a month ago… and I just now woke up from it.

Ryuji… you went so far… is there truly nothing that I can do to bring you back to my side?

For the remainder of the day I am left alone with my thoughts, sans a few doctors or nurses coming in to check on me or bring me medicine. They are all very kind, as if they had known me for a long time. Well, I suppose they have known me for a while now, it is I who doesn't know them. Each one of them expresses their joy that I have woken from my coma, but my shock is too great to even properly thank them for their kind words. All I can think about is Ryuji.

I have to see him again. This is the conclusion I come to after thinking it over for the rest of the day. I must find him, and bring him back to my side at all costs. Even if it really kills me this time.

I wait until nightfall to unhook myself from all of the machinery and attempt to get out of bed for the first time. I struggle to even shift my body to the edge of the mattress, before placing my feet onto the floor. My first attempt to stand fails miserably, as I simply fall back into bed. My legs have atrophied horribly. I take it slower this time, easing myself up, gripping one of the poles of the machines for support. I'm able to remain standing this time, albeit not on my own. It doesn't matter… I have to get to Ryuji. I search the room for my clothing. The chairs placed along the wall are barren, so I hobble towards a dresser situated in the corner of the room, opposite to the door. I open a drawer. Empty. I open the drawer beneath it. Also empty. What, did they throw them away? I continue to search through the dresser when a chill fills the room.

"Now, shouldn't you be in bed?" a cold voice says.

I look towards the door, but it has not opened. I turn around as quickly as my unstable legs will let me. In the window, now open, sits a silhouette of a man.

Itachi Uchiha.

I pause for a moment before charging at him out of instinct. Madara sent him to capture me. I knew I shouldn't have believed Akihiro when he said this place was safe. I attempt to punch him, but he catches my fist easily in his palm.

"This is a hospital. Don't be noisy." He says, calmly.

"What the hell are you-" I cry before he interrupts me.

"Don't worry, Nyoko. I mean you no harm."

"W-Why should I believe that? You w-work for that m-masked psychopath!" I cry.

"Shhhhh," he silences me. "I said quiet down. This is a hospital, people are trying to sleep. Now, as for why you should believe me, that is quite simple. I am not on Madara's side."

I am confused. What does he mean he's not on Madara's side, he's part of the Akatsuki! My confusion must have been evident by my facial expression, as Itachi quickly elaborates.

"I know this is a surprise to you, but you must believe me. I will explain everything to you."


	12. Revalation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Itachi's unlikely appearance at Katabami Hospital, he finally divulges to Nyoko the truth of his dark past.

Nyoko

"I'm sure you have taken in a lot of information already, but who knows when I would have another chance to explain everything to you." Itachi says. Though his words imply urgency, his expression remains at ease.

"I d-don't understand… why do you even w-want to tell me anything?" I reply.

"Well, that is rather simple," he says. "By going against your brother, by betraying Madara, you proved that your allegiance lies with what you believe to be right and wrong. Not with Madara's ideals. Not only this, you do not belong to any of the Five Great Nations, nor any other shinobi village for that matter. Because of this, I know that you can be trusted with what I am going to tell you with minimal risk of exposing myself to the ninja world."

"M-Madara's ideals…? Exposing yourself…? What are you talking about?" My head is spinning more violently than a hurricane.

"Just listen, all of your questions will be answered."

With that, I close my mouth and open my ears. I knew there was more to Itachi from the day Ryuji and I met him, and now I finally get to know the truth about the clan killer.

"The Itachi Uchiha that you met several months ago with your brother, is not who I really am. That was merely a facade that I maintain. Much of what I told you and Ryuji was nothing short of falsehoods. Lies upon lies in order to exact my plans."

Though he told me to not talk, I can't help but ask another question. "Does that mean you didn't really kill your clan."

His facial expression doesn't change, but his eyes do. They fill with pain and sorrow as soon as the question leaves my mouth.

"No… I did. However, the circumstances were not what I told you previously. You see, much of the clan, including the clan's head, my—our father, Fugaku, wished to execute a coup d'etat in the Hidden Leaf Village. While it is true, the Uchiha had been mistreated by the village in the past, the ninja world was, and still is far too volatile for a coup to be anything short of a disaster. One other member of the clan, Shisui, helped me in trying to resolve the issue peacefully. We worked within both the clan and the village leadership to prevent insurrection, but it was to no avail. It finally reached a boiling point, including Shisui, my best friend… ending his own life. This prompted an integral figure in the Hidden Leaf's government, Danzo, to approach me with an idea. While it was a horrific idea, it would certainly prove effective."

He paused. For the first time since I met him, his face changed from one of calmness and disinterest to one of pain and anguish.

"His idea was for me to slaughter every last Uchiha. It seemed unthinkable to me, but in time, I came to the realization that it was the only way to prevent the destruction of the entire Hidden Leaf Village. So, I made a deal with Madara. You see, Madara had a gripe with the Uchiha clan, except he intended to do harm to the Leaf Village as a whole. My deal with him was that if I helped him exact his vengeance on the Uchiha, he would not pursue further action against the Leaf. Thankfully, Madara agreed."

With this, along with all of the other information I've been fed today, I feel like my brain is due to explode.

"It was the most painful thing I have ever experienced. However, after all of the other failed attempts, the loss of Shisui, and the threat against my home… I had no choice. There was but one final issue… I could not bring myself to kill Sasuke, my younger brother.

"I told you before how I spared him so that I could one day test myself against him, and take his eyes… that is not true. Not in the slightest. I spared him because I know that I could never bring myself to kill him. So, I devised a plan so that even after all the damage I do, I can help him somehow. I would make him hate me, make killing me a goal for him to achieve. His work ethic is unmatched, he was guaranteed to work day and night to grow stronger. Then, one day, he will meet me in battle. I will give him a good fight, and purge any of the darkness that lies within him. And then, at the end of our battle… I will die for him.

"He will feel fulfilled in his goal of ridding the world of the evil that was Itachi Uchiha, and the Great Nations will view him as a hero for doing so. Sasuke will never have to know the truth about our clan's downfall. He will never have to know of what I went through. He will solely be the hero who avenged his clan.

"After Madara and I finished killing them, I reported the mission's success to the Hokage, and asked that he look after Sasuke in my absence. I would join Madara's organization, the Akatsuki, and spy on them from the inside. To this day, I do my best to protect the Hidden Leaf from the shadows, and I work towards achieving my goal for Sasuke.

"I understand if you do not believe me, but I promise you, everything that I have told you here is the unadulterated truth.

I'm stuck in a stunned silence. I can hardly even comprehend everything that I have been told. It feels like time stands still as I stare at my half brother. How does someone who goes through so many horrors not go completely insane.

After what feels like an eternity passes, I finally am able to bring myself to ask a question. "Even if that is all true, w-why are you here to tell it to me…? How d-did you even know I was here?"

"That is a different story altogether."

Itachi

Six weeks earlier

As he had requested, I arrive at Madara's hideout to meet with him. What does he want from me now? As I walk through the main hall, Madara's shadowy figure emerges from the darkness.

"Ah, Itachi, thank you for coming on such short notice."

"What is it that you needed from me?" I ask, not wasting any time.

"Right down to business. That's why I like you, Itachi. You see, I gave your half siblings a mission to eliminate our dear friend Akihiro. However, that was several days ago, and they should have been back here by yesterday at the latest, yet, they are nowhere to be found."

"You wish for me to find them for you?"

"You have always been rather keen, haven't you? Yes, if you wouldn't mind."

"Where was their mission's location?"

"Just east of the border of the Land of Wind and the Land of Rivers. They were supposed to intercept him a mere few kilometers away from here. Is that enough information?"

"Plenty. They shall be back here in no time at all."

"I knew I could count on you. Happy hunting, Itachi."

Madara returns to the shadows as I turn around to exit the hideout.

I search throughout the area that I determined most likely for their mission to have led them, however the search area is rather vast. Through several hours of investigation, I am left empty handed, and begin to fear that they may have gone too far to reasonably deduce their approximate location. I eventually find a path that travels throughout the woods of the Land of Rivers, and I decide to follow it. More than likely, Akihiro would need a path to guide him to a certain degree. Following this path is more likely to yield their location than blindly wandering would.

I follow the path before seeing obvious signs of travel suddenly diverge from it. This must be them. I follow the tracks into a clearing in the woods. Situated comfortably in the clearing is a wooden hut. As I look around more and more, it becomes clear that a battle has taken place. I walk throughout the clearing, looking for signs of Nyoko and Ryuji. I pass the hut and look around the corner. There lies the limp, lifeless body of Nyoko, and two figures which stand above her. Is she dead?

I walk towards them in order to find out if she is alive, the taller figure that stood above her reveals himself to be Akihiro, the very man she had been tasked to kill. The second figure is a young boy. Akihiro recognizes me, after having done vast medical work on different members of the Akatsuki. The color drains from his face and his eyes fill with fear. Sweat begins to drip down his face. The boy appears to be terrified as well.

"N-No, don't hurt me, I don't want Madara to—" He rambled, frantically, virtually no space between his words.

"Stop, I assure you, I mean you no harm. Just get her the help she needs, I'll be sure he doesn't interfere."

"W-Why should I trust you?"

"Because if I am lying, you are going to die anyway, and there is not a thing you would be able to do about it. So you better just get to work."

Akihiro picks her up and takes her into the hut. Now, where is Ryuji. What happened here?

I look at the spot where Nyoko had been lying. There are footprints and a trail of blood leading into the woods. I follow the trail. Could this be his?

I travel throughout the woods until I find myself standing above Ryuji's unconscious body. So both Nyoko and Ryuji are beaten down and reduced to an unconscious state, yet they are distanced from one another… curious.

I pick him up on my shoulder and make my way back to Akihiro's hut. Once I get to the door, I walk in and see Akihiro and the young boy working frantically on Nyoko's wounds.

"Is she going to be alright?" I ask.

"She's sustained several potentially fatal injuries and I don't have half of what I need to properly treat her here. I need to take her to a hospital. The one in the Katabami Gold Mine Village is the nearest one that would be sufficient," Akihiro replies.

"Do you think you can get there in time?"

"I think so, I was able to stabilize her, she should be able to hang in there long enough for me to get her there."

"I hope you are right. Something with heavy implications has happened here. For now, I must take this boy back to Madara. As for you, only worry about Nyoko."

"Why are you helping me with this girl? Do you not work for him?" he questions.

"We don't have enough time for me to sit here and explain everything to you. Just make sure she gets the help that she needs. I'll meet you in Katabami in a few days. I promise you, Madara will not interfere with your work. Just trust me."

With that, Akihiro took Nyoko and the child and set off for Katabami, while I turned around and made my way back to Madara's hideout with Ryuji in my grasp.

Nyoko

"Once I met with Akihiro here, he explained to me what had happened. That you went against your brother to save his and his boy's life. I can only assume that the battle with him was the most grueling you have ever endured, given your state at the moment." Itachi concludes.

"So, you were the one who spoke then…" I say, faintly.

"What do you mean?" He asks.

"After I fought R-Ryuji, I went in and out of consciousness a few t-times… I heard a voice th-that I recognized, but I couldn't p-place it at the time. I-It was you…"

He waits a few moments before speaking again. "Nyoko, I would like to propose an alliance between Akihiro, yourself and I. With our combined effort, I think that we can further our individual goals through one mutual goal that we all share." He pauses, possibly hoping that I understand what he means without him saying it. Unfortunately for him, I likely wouldn't be able to catch on, even without head trauma.

"If the three of us work together, we can take down Madara."


End file.
